Optimal Placement of a PV-DSTATCOM in a Radial Distribution System

This paper proposes a method for optimal sizing and placement in a radial distribution system, a three phase DSTATCOM which is also capable of feeding active power through the dc link from a PV array (PV-DSTATCOM). The voltage stability of the system with incorporation of PVDSTATCOM at the critical buses is analyzed. This device can inject active power from PV source as well as compensate var demand to maintain voltage stability of the network. The point of common coupling (PCC) of the PV-DSTATCOM is determined by the proposed method for IEEE 38 bus radial distribution system. The proposed method employs modal analysis based eigen values and sensitivity indices of the network as well as assesses the voltage stability indices of each branch to find the critical buses where PV-DSTATCOM can be placed. The optimal sizing of the PV-DSTATCOM is also determined by the proposed method. The results obtained shows that connection of a PV-DSTATCOM in the system improves voltage stability and reduces line losses of the radial distribution system.